How to advertise discipulate among other generations

Why should young women in the church form friendships and form discipleship relationships?Our lives are busy, after all, and it’s much easier to spend time with people our age. In addition, we may wonder what knowledge or incentives we would have to offer ourselves. We may want such relationships, but we find it difficult to develop them.

Many women ask for counsel and discipline among the women of the church.

Let me share a visit with my friend Kristie.
She invited me to a tea of women that she and several other women had organized for her congregation.
After the beverage service.
The host asked several participants to share testimonies about God’s faithfulness.
The stories were personal.
And moving.
Older women have discovered how their stories animate young women.
That day bonds were established and friendships continued to develop.

And then there was Sneha, who wanted to learn to discipline young women, but he didn’t know where to start, so he invited me to join her on a date with a new Christian. Every Saturday for several months, all three of us study the Bible, pray, and talk about God’s call in our lives. Neha has grasped the vision of empowering women with the Word of God and now meets several women each week.

Both the Old and New Testaments ask us to invest in such relationships. Older generations are called to tell stories about God’s faithfulness and the challenges of clinging to the gospel (Deuteronomy 5. 11; Psalm 10. 2; 2 Timothy 2. 2; 4. 1-4; 1 Timothy 15). ) Similarly, older generations should encourage them to persevere in their faith (Hebrews 6. 11; 2Pedro 3). Title 2. 1-6 could not be clearer: in gospel-centered congregations, older women must behave with respect and restraint and teach the virtues young women need. Know.

A few years ago, did the elders of our church begin leading our congregation in promoting a culture of discipleship?We wanted to mature as a body of Christians who help each other learn to follow Christ in the light of His Word. Examined how to promote this discipleship among women, our ideas revolved around three verbs: encouraging, teaching, and modeling.

1. Encouraging

While most Christian women understand the value of intergenerational friendships, a little more encouragement is needed. Our church just started talking about it. At women’s meetings, we take the time to share the views of the most experienced and encourage women to start praying about how they might join. Have we demonstrated the value of discipleship relationships in Bible studies, at church lunches, answering questions about women’s ministries?We basically used every opportunity we had. Events for women, small groups and ministry teams allowed us to meet and form friendships with women outside our homogeneous circles.

By the grace of God, the idea spread slowly. Have we started to find women who are getting younger?Read the Word of God, examine your lives in your light, pray to walk according to it.

We are also trying to affirm and support. Our shepherds and elders have offered words of encouragement. We suggest good reading and study materials in meetings, as well as methods for understanding the scriptures in pairs or in small groups. Leaders kindly refused to take on situations of confusion, counseling and praying for those who were already there. involved in the resolution.

2. Teach

Many women feel they are not prepared to make disciples of someone younger. This may or may not be true. If we have more experience, we must ask ourselves why we do not feel prepared Do we take our own spiritual growth seriously?Have we considered how God has guided us over the years?Are we dedicated to scripture study, prayer, learning theology, reading good books?If this is the case, we can pray that Spirit-led trust will open and share something we have learned from, otherwise we can begin to dedicate ourselves to growing up in Christ, not only for our own good, but for the growth of those around us. another woman to advise a younger woman, as Sneha did.

In addition to fostering personal growth, churches can offer help through teaching and training. Has our pastor, for example, created three six-week courses for women?Taught by women, who focus on spiritual disciplines, how to train a disciple, and verses from Tite 2, specifically for women. Others organized women’s retreats focused on these issues. Informal teaching in pairs or small groups reinforces what we hear in large meetings. By the grace of God, we grow in our determination and our ability to do good, in a spiritual sense, to each other, rather than simply distributing the wisdom of the world.

3. Model

Finally, women need to see good role models. The world around us offers all kinds of models. Therefore, in the Church we must demonstrate the fruit of piety in a variety of callings, while sharing our lives.

I have the privilege of meeting women who do this in a wonderfully creative way; I mentioned Kristie and Sneha, but there’s also my friend Joanne, who invited young girlfriends and mothers to spend a morning on a nearby beach, and took this time to talk about marriage and motherhood. He found many useful opportunities to accompany these women individually.

Sarah and Joanna gathered a group of college girls and established a panel of mature women to ask their questions. A lively discussion arose and friendships developed and continued to develop.

I have given only a few examples; the possibilities for fostering creative discipleship are endless (the complementary and sincere discussions on this topic can be found in Chapter 7 of the material for the “Ministry of Women”, Youth and Women: Taking Titus Seriously ?, by Kristie Anyabwile and Susan Hunt)

Why should the younger women of the church make friends and form discipleship relationships?The most important answer is that the Bible tells us to do this. And as we develop these friendships, the fruit is really rich.

Through discipline, we transmit the truth of the gospel, so that women may acquire and grow in faith; these relationships bear witness to God’s mercy, which is renewed every morning and every generation, with a little encouragement, a little formation and growth. Numerous good role models, the Church of Jesus will be filled with women as disciples of other women, to serve him faithfully in all the calls of our lives.

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series that addresses specific topics related to women’s ministry in the local church. We have a team of women who are happy to answer a number of questions. Direct any questions about the women’s ministry to our Women’s Initiative Coordinator, Mallie Taylor (mallie. taylor thegospelcoalition. org).

Then be sure to get a copy of the book “The Ministry of Women: Loving and Serving the Church Through the Word?”(Faithful Editor). This book presents a vision of ministry among women that is rooted in the Word of God, grows in the context of the body of Christ, and points to the glory of the Son of God. You can also attend one of the Coalition for the Gospel women’s conferences.

Authorizations: You are authorized and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that the author, his ministry and translator are no longer no longer modified and not used for commercial purposes.

1. Encouraging

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